Summer Break – Hello to Old Readers and New

A life savored is better than a life rushed through. 

Happy Mid- July-

I lost a mentor and dear friend to heaven and didn't know. RIP Don Skraba. Your habit of sending cheerful notes by real mail brought smiles to everyone lucky enough to see your handwriting on the envelope. I think you would be pleased to know that I've learned to slow down. 

Alex, son of Manny and Krista Chavez came over to help pick fruit.
The chair cover  is made from 1-1/2 towels and 3 straight seems.

 Southern California is having a nice-spring-day- in-Florida summer. A little bit hot and a whole lot of moisture in the air.  One personal piece this week was titled “Either it rained last night or I need to adjust the sprinklers.”  

Mint  pops through the ground cover roses 

It was measurable rain- not by the gauge on the garden arch. The evidence - it calculated just enough moisture to splatter the dust which the breeze normally blows away into Rorschach blotches across the windshield of my faithful old car.

As the scent of jasmine fades away, stephanotis  fills the air 

I stay in shape by keeping busy with projects like little building stairways and retaining walls. 

Hallelujah and amen. God’s shade-cloth dropped the temperature below triple digits just in time for me to finish the back wall on the retaining wall I built behind where bunnies and squirrels have so enjoyed the produce we've tried to grow.  

The mini quadcopter has joined the fleet of dragonflies in our backyard airspace.

A Very Good Life- this blog is what old school would have called a journal.  A recording of one specific woman’s journey.  Some of pictures which follow are historic to our family. My McGuyver, Gerry, invented a way to restore the disintegrated slides which involves aiming the old carousel projector, a cardboard box to aim my camera through and is linked to his computer.

Before I learned to cook I was really thin. The Frye boots I wore surely out-weighed me. 

  I am blessed to be in good health, my business is growing.   For close to 38 years my husband grows ever more in his role of my miracle man.

My husband with his first girlfriend. It must have been a fling. he doesn't remember her name):-. 

 Our sons have grown to be amazing men. The youngest married well. He and his wife gave us the most gorgeous grandchild, the lovely Charley. Not yet 4 months old, she has me rethinking my garden as one where children will play in. Learn about butterflies, birds, bees and blooms.

Papa Kenny wearing Bass Knuckles t-shirt, I'm holding my granddaughter and mom Shannon 

If our good fortune holds out, she and her cousins will learn to love nature in the garden which I am head over heals in love with.  This place is not important for what I have done to it.  Of higher importance is how the act of gardening shaped me from a city slicker to a country girl.

I thank you for your patience between blog posts. I LOVE visiting with you here. When I disappear be certain it is commercial interests that pull me away like a sailor to sea. How I make my living, as a journalist focused on garden-centered living, is not the easiest. It is simply the best. What God always meant me to do while I was busy arguing the point with him.

The journey we take in life.... the wisest among us know to enjoy wherever and however we travel it. My father in law was stationed in the UK when Queen Elizabeth was coronated. These two photos are from her coronation.  May God protect her; the land and the people she serves.  

 

In the queue are more gardens and gardeners for you to meet. 

Until we meet again, thank you for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.

. 

Thoughts Inspired by the Back Door Butler

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.

~Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat

A copy of The English Garden Magazine and flowers brighten the otherwise dark color

In the age of self-service and attached garages with automatic openers, it is the seldom-used bar near the garage entry that serves as our butler. Turning the corner from away from home duties to back at home, on its surface the welcome spirit of reading materials and flower arrangements is laid our for our return.

Stems of  Julia Child, Betty Boop, Pink Flower Carpet Roses turn a service area into a welcoming entry. Red valerian plumes pop out with the flourish of a feather pen. A mystery mauve rose is like a fairy godmother. In her nameless state, her goodness will not be denied.

A plume of red valerian provides a playful flourish.

This lusciously plummy number was given a chance to finish her apprenticeship in the garden,  even though her early years were filled with disease and straggly performance. In her youth, the mystery rose bloomed but once a year; and that I think she did only because she sensed the spade and trash can were coming for her. 

Our mystery rose had few things to recommend her. While experience with the frequency of an eclipse- her bodacious blooms are bathed in the most heavenly scent. The intensity of these two qualities saved her life. She lived long enough to try a move to a different part of the garden stage.  She spread her arms and flourishes. If this rose were an actress, she grew up to be a Helen Mirren.

Outside, it is bragging weather. 68 °degrees. 66% humidity. This time of year the sun sets for early, a mercy for those of us who spend the day in the garden doing just one more thing before we head in. To cook. To eat. To read. To write. To do a bit of housework. But mostly, to dream of the next day in the garden.

Give a Portion of Thyself- Freelance is like Baseball

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wish I could send you the pampering perfume of the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals. A blended bouquet of French Jasmine, Lily of the Valley and Rose will glow for a good 60 hours.  The hand-poured mossy green soy wax is displayed in its own  apothecary-style jar with a lid to turn the flame off without a smokey smudge.


Once the candle is finished, the container will be polished and reused as an elegant container for gift giving. Imagine the lidded jar holding candies or sea shells. Perhaps an elegantly old fashioned label printed proclaiming its new use as a holder of homemade bath salts.

The window was my first stained glass project. My husband bought me the equipment for Christmas and the family paid for a class through Diamond Bar Parks and Recreation.  In turn, their gift to me was returned to them through this window that we have all enjoyed.
My next project is a bass Tiffany style lamp. Pattern by Worden, next week the glass will be hand selected. Not just for color, but for how texture and light reflecting qualities.

More  than task lighting, the glass shade is an artistic statement that reflects our mutual love of the outdoors.  When it is finished, it will be my gift to husband. It will be the statement piece as we transform a long-abandoned bedroom into his new study.

This week it was announced  by Patch.com that freelance writers are still welcome to submit- but we will not be paid. I do not know if this is regional or national. I did expect that for better or worse, Arriana Huffington's 300+ million dollar payday would affect the operations of what is a young start up company. The only questions were how, when and whom. Time will tell if the decision to target assets to her expertise were well advised of not.

Image from Huffington family Christmas card before her then husband's Senate run

I wish the best for Patch.com. As a writer, you were sweet as a summer romance. Lovely while it lasted, and while the breakup may be bittersweet, I will remain glad for our time together.  

I hurt for the editors who got to pass on the change in policy towards freelance compensation. Writers do have an inclination to wonder why such a matter was not covered by some US Civil War 1865 proclamation.  My position is, better to be in my shoes than the editor's. The workload of an editor can be summed up like this

When I was a community editor, I always thanked God.  First for being called to the position. Then that it was to a monthly publication, not a daily one):-

To young aspiring writers everywhere- make peace with the following. Like professional baseball players, the best batting average is below 500. You will not be paid well for being well-rounded.  You will be paid for perhaps how you perform only 1 skill set- but that one thing you do must better than any other living person.

If you are up learning that stumbles are character building events to be thankful for, then go for it. Be a writer. There is nothing more professionally uplifting than falling in love with your topic and then having people remember what you wrote.  

A good story is a gift that keeps on giving.


Local Readers- Bar- the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals is available at D&D Interiors, 514 N Diamond Bar Blvd # G , Diamond Bar , CA 91765

909-598-1219 for hours or more information

Garden Blooming Blog Day- GBBD July 2011

 Welcome to the July garden walkabout. The most intense feature of the summer garden  this week wasn't a flower...

Backyard Coyote

Coyotes are handsome animals. If you see one, the best thing you can do (for him and you) is not make him feel welcome. Jump. Shout. Make like a crazy person.   As one unfortunate family in Diamond Bar found out this week- use extreme caution in installing doggie doors.  

'Evelyn'

At the curb- Evelyn is aging gracefully. She's fussy about wanting attention. When she gets it- in the way of regular water, fertilizing and grooming- she rewards with the purest scent of rose reaching up to heaven- the angels lean over to inhale. I like to think the walkers who pause in front of her are doing so also- but I suspect it may be the second steepest street grade in Diamond Bar that is more responsible for them needing to catch a breath.

Stephanotis (Madagascar Jasmine)

Angel Face Geraniums grown from cuttings.

The twin stephanotis vines reaching to hold hands above the front picture window are late to bloom this year- defining better late than never. If the Jehovah's Witness ladies only knew- they would deliver their pamphlets at dusk- when the bridal bouquet favorite begins to scent the air. 

Daylily 'South Seas'

Daylily 'South Seas' is the most vibrant hued daylily in my collection. Picked up at the Kellogg Ranch  Cal Poly Farm Store last year- one more year of sturdiness ought to  create some blooming magic as her tangerine blossoms are set off by a backdrop of purple wands of blooming  Mexican Sage.

In the backyard-

The miniature rose doesn't mind that we've lost her name tag.

The staggered heights of Meyer Lemon, Rose of Sharon and Albizia Julibrissen (Silk floss) trees offer welcome shade

 The tomatoes are finally the color red of my mother's favorite lipsticks: fire engine.

The patch of strawberries have yielded two bowls of fruit in just this week.

There is more to share. Please come back to see!

Coyote image by Gene Sasse. Used with permission

Romantic Memories

"Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song or a good book or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there."

-Sarah Dessen

 

 $7.96 read the sign by the grocery store mums. Their blooming faces radiating joy in shades of peach nuances blended with mauve overtones, each shade more interesting together than alone. It is magic: the one 6" plant perfumes the dining room as though a dozen  arrangements decked the walls.The olive green cache pot, originally from Blue Hills Nursery, was passed between my mother and I for over a decade.
 
My gilt edged blue notebook comes out with wine. I like to record what a wine tastes like, what food it would best pair with- and the story it tells.
 
In my wine journal Roederer Anderson Valley Estate Brut does not have a page of its own- it has a life of its own.
 

Ill never forget my first time: with Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut. We were dining on the patio of  Spencer's on The Mountain.  I was 50 years old when the first drop touched my lips, but I was 21 again when the glass was finished. 

Over the years, it is on a pedestal in my memory bank as simply the most seductive beverage ever to touch my lips.  Even more so when enjoyed at home, sipped from the vintage Franciscan 'Royal Spendor' cut crystal goblets that I began collecting in high school. 

That is, until this weekend, when my daughter-in-law introduced me to an even more powerful love potion. It is quite simple-

Pour the chilled bubbly not quite to the goblet top. Finish filling with a generous shot of peach schnapps. 

Life should be romantic, by design. Some things should last, like good sofas and sturdy marriages. Other things should be sweet for the tender surrender to time. Brought out to share with intimates over dinner, their scents and tastes calligraphy on our tablets of our hearts .

Summer, The Mid-life of the Year

New flag celebrates my passions- Country and Garden

"No bought potpourri is so pleasant as that made from ones own garden, for the petals of the flowers one has gathered at home hold the sunshine and memories of summer, and of past summers only the sunny days should be remembered.

Eleanor Sinclair-

The borrowed view of neighbor's gazebo through agapanthus blossom

 Dear Eleanor was a British gardener (1881–1950) , garden historian, and horticultural writer. Her life's passion popularized herb gardening. Think of her as you "clip-about" scents to remember this season by.

Trees planted in the canyon give depth to the viewshed

93.7 ° F  is close enough to triple digits to know that summer is here to stay.

Its a dilemma of summer that we expect life to be like song lyrics.  For the "living to be easy. " Forget easy, just make it not feel so darn hot and find ways to make the most of the season which is the changing of the guard from the youthful to mid-life of the year. 

Goldfinch enjoying a sip from sprinkler valve needing repair.

The plants cannot come inside to enjoy the air conditioning. I don't want to lug bag after bag of mulch down up and across the canyon. It is much easier to "mulch in place".  That is how I justify not sweeping away clippings (anything that isn't a weed). In informal private spaces,  it is a virtue to let the sun-dry leaves and buds into compost.  Over time, the soil improves with summer-slow gardening. 

Clippings left on-site are frugal mulch and labor saving device

Inside, there are mid-year corrections to make.

 

Inside, memories unfold as quilts are folded away until chill returns. Time to peel back the extra quilts off the bed. Wash and hang for the season.  When the dry cleaners decided to fold, not hang bed l linens, it was an off-season dilemma as the collection grew. Yacht Shop sensibility to the rescue.  Pioneer Linens  sells hangers  generously sized and  über strong.

God bless the inventors of the Internet. How else would a West Coast suburban housewife ever find a Yacht shop in  West Palm,  Beach Florida?

May Your Independence Day be full of only good memories.

Garden Blooming Blog Day GBBD- June, 2011

The fire season broke out today at 2:40 pm today, Flag Day. It had warmed to 83.7 with flags whipping about in the drying breeze when the helicopters started circling not far to the south of here. Kudos to Darren Fishell over at DiamondbarPatch.com  for swift and accurate report. I swear he must have police and fire notification implants. He is everywhere breaking news is. And he prints my local history column. This week on the earliest days of education

Thanks to the swift action of the fire department, I am able to keep my monthly date with my fellow garden bloggers. Without further adieu, WELCOME to my garden. This month's highlights

 The Fuchsia continues to go for the Guinness record for continuous bloom. Today it got fed a banana peel (for potassium) and egg shells (for calcium) tucked into a few shovels of potting soil for nourishment.

Carnation  D. caryophyllus and Graptopetalum paraguayense ‘Pinky

The fuchsia is planted in this Vietnamese glazed pot set within a minimal planting area the builder provided for a long ago discarded poodled- plant. At its feet there is barely enough space between it and the hardscaping for the dianthus (carnations) and succulent cuttings to be tucked in.

However, what this slim edging cannot offer in mass is made up for by scent. Walking up to the front door as the sun lies down for its evening nap-the spicy fragrance of the pinked-edged carnations is magnified in the tight space, offering a welcome that bids the biding of time.  

Time + Trees = Dappled Shade

The flat space that is my front garden may be minimal in size, it is not minimalistic in style. When Gerry and I first moved in with our sons, this area was regularly scorched under summer sun. Now that the trees have matured- both ours and our neighbors- I am  pleased to find the sun-loving sea lavender (Limonium latifolium) and  coral pink Peruvian Lily ( Alstromeria) bloom despite the changes in their micro-climate. 

The slightest turn of the lens focuses on this angel wing begonia. I forget her name, but never that I planted her the day before my niece Alison died in an accident. It is impossible to see these dainty flowers without thinking of the tragedy that befell the family. Nothing is so tragic or of comic senselessness as the death of a child.

Begonia close-up. A reminder of our angel, Allison.

The reflected sunshine on driveway is put to good garden-use

Visitors chummy enough to come to the back door pass where red Valerian self-seeded with lemon verbena and nasturtium...

Ripe snack-style tomatoes ...

underplanted with a rose related to the romantic 'Renae'

There are many more flowers blooming which I could drop here, but I think you'll find these more interesting.

In a few weeks strawberries may be plucked while enjoying a hot soak in the spa.

The trumpet vine and I are in a battle for dominance as she tries to wiggle her way through the lemon-loaded Meyer tree.

There is much more to share, but as Aussie cum California transplant Jamie Durie teaches, the best garden experiences do not come at once, but reveal themselves a glimpse at a time.

So I leave you with a scene that is quintessential California. The June gardens here celebrate flower and fruit. Here,  exemplified in this side yard- where the bougainvillea and ripe kumquats embrace.  

The Royal Wedding :Nests,Hats and All Things Horticulture

In the context of who what and where, today's Royal Wedding was pitch perfect. Joyful and reverent. Appropriately rooted in faith.  Far down the scale of priorities, the lady guests provided visual lessons on a great cultural divide across The Great Atlantic Pond to my little outpost on the far side of the North American Continent.

The British Sentiment

"A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it's the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat."

-Martha Sliter

The  True Westerner's Sentiment

"Her hat is a creation that will never go out of style, it will look ridiculous year after year.”

Fred Allen

Now, I LOVE my feathered friend flocking to the feeders;
 

But I would never pin one to an artificial nest stapled to my head. 

Photo Credit ABC News

The prime minister's wife took a bit of criticism for not wearing a hat to the Royal Wedding. Since the Pope struck the requirement for women needing to cover their heads in church(when I was in second grade),  Westerners wear hats as functional (such as for gardening, horseback riding, golf,  costumes and bad hair days) rather than for decoration. From this continent to the island that once ruled us- perhaps the criticism ought to be aimed away from well-groomed hair to some of the concoctions on display atop heads.  My western sentiment is that the bare heads are respectful to other guests sitting arrears.  Imagine trying to watch the ceremony from a seat not on a front aisle through a sea of these impediments? 

20 foot trees line aisle ABC News APTN/AP Photo

Shane Connolly was chosen by Prince William and his Catherine to oversee the horticultural displays for they day owing to his reputation for elegant and sustainable approach to floristry which is centered on the use of living plants and trees  

In the consummate "bringing the outdoors in" the Royal couple walked down an aisle lined with six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam 20 foot trees   grown in planters built by craftsmen at The Prince of Wales's Residence, Highgrove. The floral palette of bblossoming azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac must have had the abbey scented like the countryside. After May 6th, the plants will leave the Abbey to be donated to charities or replanted, some at Highgrove.

The bride's bouquet drew on the traditions of flowers of significance according to the Language of Flowers and the two families joined through matrimony. Shane Connolly's gathered together   


Lily-of-the-valley – Return of happiness

Sweet William – Gallantry


Hyacinth – Constancy of love


Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection


Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.  ( a sprig of which is an offspring from Queen Victoria's 1847 wedding bouquet.


Congratulations to the Newlyweds.  My hat is off to you. If I wore one):-

Watching like a Hawk

Watching like a hawk. What does that mean exactly?  

Look carefully on the lower branch, just above the center right quadrant.

And you will spot the Cooper's Hawk that is settling in.

Observing him from my study, where I spent the vast majority of the day, I have decided that hawks are fonder of inspecting than being inspected.  For at every crack of glass or attempt to sneak around the side to get a good image- he dove over to a tree further in the canyon.  Only to come back when I wasn't paying attention- seemingly to inspect me at the keyboard throughout the day.

It is just out of camera range in the top two images- our grapefruit tree just outside the lawn on the far north corner of the upper garden is bursting with flowers. The air is  spritzed with their citrus perfume. The scent so powerful it wafts with no breeze from the single tree all the way to the patio door. Which I left the screen open to until a 2 foot long alligator lizard wriggled into the sliding door track.  Its snake-like action held ol' Tahoe's attention for quite a while as it maneuvered its way free to hunt whatever bugs lurk about the garden. Which with all this greenery and mostly organic controls- it is obvious how the reptile got so long and fat.

 

Joan Bolton has a lovely post on orchids up today. As these bloomers on the front porch attest, I have achieved a certain level of success. But God made human beings to be slightly dissatisfied. He knows we need that motivating yearning.

Joan's post leaves me hungry to learn more. To earn more bounty and beauty with what I already have- but with a bit more expert's knowledge stirred in. By reading books with the same attention the hawk gave me today.

Wishing you Godspeed and Good Fortune-